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OBJECTIVE: Cold exposure (CE) before birth is one of the initial stressors that may impact mammalian pregnancy, changing placental and fetal development and affecting the health of the offspring. While glucocorticoids (GCs) participate in the body’s response to the stress of CE, the specific mechanisms of their action are unclear. This study aims to determine the effect of CE stress on the placenta and to test whether stress, caused by cold exposure in pregnancy impairs fetal development by changing placental angiogenesis via excessive GC expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CE rat model was created by exposing 30 SD rats to cold preconception, or during the first, second, and third weeks of pregnancy. Serum cortisol and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) expression levels, physiological index changes (food intake, body weight change and blood pressure), and pregnancy outcomes (fetal rat weight, number of live fetal rats, and placental weight) were collected at baseline and at different time points after the conception. Protein expression levels of 11 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (11β-HSD2), glucocorticoid receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), placental growth factor (PIGF), and sFlt-1 in placental tissues were measured by western blotting. Cytokeratin (CK) and laminin (LN) in trophoblasts, and α-actin in vascular smooth muscle of the spiral arteries of pregnant rats after the systemic cold treatment were assessed by immunofluorescence and visualized by fluorescent microscopy. To test the effect of 11β-HSD2 levels on the placental recasting, human first-trimester extravillous trophoblast cells (HTR8/SVneo) underwent knockdown using specific 11β-HSD2 siRNA constructs. Expression levels of 11β-HSD2 were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and into HTR8 cells, and the expression levels of the 11β-HSD2 gene in each group were measured using qPCR. Cell migration and invasion was assessed by Transwell migration assay, and sFlt-1 levels in HTR8 cells were measured by ELISA.RESULTS: CE pre-conception led to consistently increasing serum corticosterone and sFlt-1 levels throughout pregnancy, and persistently increased diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in rat CE model compared to control animals. CE during the second week of gestation (Gp.3) was associated with significantly lower placental weight (p=0.0003). Cold exposure in the third week (Gp.4) was associated with significantly (p=0.001) lower fetal weight. CE pre-conception was associated with significantly decreased placental levels of 11β-HSD2, glucocorticoid receptor, VEGF-A, PIGF, and sFlt-1 proteins and α-actin compared to the control group. Silencing 11β-HSD2 by siRNA led to reduced cell migrations and invasion, and markedly increased expression levels of sFlt-1 in HTR8/SVneo cells (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-conception cold exposure and during early pregnancy leads to increased GCs levels and impaired placental 11β-HSD2 activity. We suggest that the subsequent 11β-HSD2-induced increase in the sFlt-1expression during early pregnancy may affect placental vascular remodeling and change placental morphological structure and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnant women with pre-eclampsia (PE), complicated with fetal growth restriction (FGR), and establish a prediction model of vaginal delivery to guide the selection of the delivery mode. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 208 pregnant women with PE complicated with FGR. Of them, 49 patients were in the vaginal delivery group, and 159 patients were in the cesarean section group. The relevant maternal and fetal outcomes were analyzed. Patients were randomly divided into the training sample group and the test group with a ratio of 2:1. The three-layer neural network was used to select 24 maternal and infant outcome factors as the input nodes of the neural network to build a vaginal delivery prediction model. RESULTS: Results showed that the gestational age, the highest systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body weight, body length, and placental weight of the newborns in the vaginal delivery group were significantly higher than those in the cesarean section group. Incidence of preterm birth, amniotic fluid grade III, oligohydramnios, and severe small-for-gestational-age (sSGA) neonates were significantly lower in the vaginal delivery group compared to the cesarean section group (p < 0.05). A three-layer neural network delivery prediction model was constructed, and the accuracy rate of fitting with test samples was 91.80%. CONCLUSIONS: There is no significant difference in the incidence of maternal and fetal complications in PE complicated with FGR in different delivery methods. The three-layer neural network prediction model has good prediction ability for vaginal delivery of PE complicated with FGR and may be applied in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The velocity gain of neutral particles (atoms, molecules, etc) from laser acceleration is always small. A possible scheme to obtain a high speed neutral particle beam is multistage acceleration. However, according to previous theoretical and experimental studies, generally, lateral acceleration is larger than longitudinal acceleration. These transverse velocities destroy the expected quality of the longitudinally transmitted neutral particle beam. In order to realize multistage accelerations of neutral particle, it is necessary to restrain the beam divergence caused by lateral acceleration. How to optimize and utilize these laterally accelerated neutral particles is worthy of in-depth study. In this paper, we use a multi-mode combined laser pulse and a flattened Gaussian laser pulse to accelerate the neutral atoms. The transverse divergence of the beam is well controlled while the longitudinal acceleration is retained, which provides the possibility for improving the beam quality of neutral particles as well as the corresponding multistage acceleration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of induction of labor on maternal and fetal outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective case-control study included 4386 pregnant women with low-risk singleton pregnancies who underwent regular prenatal examination and successful vaginal delivery at =41 weeks and 0 days of gestation in Fujian Maternal and Child Health Hospital between January 2014 and December 2018. Clinical data of women were retrospectively divided into the induction of labor group (2007 cases) and spontaneous onset of labor group (2361 cases) based on the mode of labor initiation. Two-sample independent t-test and X2 tests were used to analyze the differences in clinical characteristics, such as maternal age and parity between the two groups. RESULTS: The induction of the labor group had a significantly longer total duration of labor (9.37±5.37 vs. 8.82±5.13 h; p<0.001), more postpartum blood loss (219.18±188.32 vs. 199.95±124.69 mL; p=0.01) and a significantly higher incidence of severe postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) comparing to the spontaneous onset of labor group [0.8% (16/2007) vs. 0.33% (8/2361); p=0.041]. However, no significant difference was found in the neonatal outcomes. After adjusting for age, induction of labor in nulliparous women was more likely to lead to PPH than the spontaneous onset of labor [2.74% (55/2007) vs. 1.65% (39/2361); odds ratio=1.557; 95% confidence interval: 1.039-2.332; p<0.05]. CONCLUSIONS: Induction of labor increases the duration of labor and postpartum blood loss, especially in primary parturient, leading to an increased risk of PPH. This increase may be related to the overall higher duration of labor, associated with IOL. Therefore, low-risk nulliparous women should try to avoid induction of labor without medical indications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate why external electric fields promote the freezing of liquid water models. It is shown that the melting point of water at a pressure of 1 bar increases significantly when water is polarized by a uniform field. Fields of 1 V/nm and 2 V/nm increase the melting point by 24 K and 44 K, respectively. The increased melting point is mainly due to the favorable interaction of near perfectly polarized cubic ice with the applied field. For a fixed temperature, we demonstrate that the size of the critical ice nucleus decreases with field strength, mostly because the melting point, and hence the true degree of supercooling, is increasing with field. On simulation timescales, ice nucleation is observed at ~40 K below the field-dependent melting point, independent of the particular value of the field applied. Indeed, we find that even quite highly polarized liquid water retains the characteristic local structures, and the related anomalous properties of water. Our results are obviously relevant to the mechanism of heterogeneous ice nucleation by local surface fields. Local fields will effectively increase the degree of supercooling of locally polarized liquid, decreasing the size of the critical nucleus in the region influenced by the field, hence facilitating ice nucleation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the prenatal clinical characteristics of women with single pregnancies undergoing external cephalic version (ECV) without anesthesia, develop a novel scoring system for predicting the ECV success rate, and demonstrate that this scoring system can be used to individualize the timing of ECV attempts. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 270 women who underwent ECV without anesthesia at 37-40 weeks of gestation in the Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital from 2016 to 2019 and divided them into two ECV outcome groups (success vs. failure). We identified five clinical features (the fetal buttocks' station, the sum of the fundal height and station, the fetal head location, and whether the fetal head or buttocks could be grasped) as independent factors affecting the ECV success rate, and we scored them using a regression coefficient. RESULTS: Women with scores of 0-3 points had ECV success rates, vaginal delivery rates, and delivery gestational ages at 16.67%, 16.67%, and 38.88 weeks, respectively; those with scores of 4-6 points had ECV success rates, vaginal delivery rates, and delivery gestational ages at 65.75%, 58.90%, and 39.62 weeks, respectively; and those with scores of 7-9 points had ECV success rates, vaginal delivery rates, and delivery gestational ages at 93.71%,74.83%, and 40.00 weeks, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The ECV success and vaginal delivery rates increased with the score, and the delivery gestational age showed an initial increase. To optimize the ECV procedure and reduce the hospital burden, this scoring system should be used routinely to predict the ECV success rate and determine the timing of ECV attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics simulations are employed to show that electric field bands acting only over a portion of a surface can function as effective ice nuclei. Field bands of different geometry (rectangular, triangular, and semicircular cross sectional areas are considered) all nucleate ice, provided that the band is sufficiently large. Rectangular bands are very efficient if the width and thickness are >=0.35 nm, and >=0.15 nm, respectively, and the necessary dimensions are comparable for other geometries. From these simulations we also learn more about the ice nucleation and growth process. Careful analysis of different systems reveals that ice strongly prefers to grow at (111) planes of cubic ice. This agrees with an earlier theoretical deduction based on considerations of water-ice interfacial energies. We find that ice nucleated by field bands usually grows as a mixture of cubic and hexagonal ice, consistent with other simulations of ice growth, and with experiment. This contrasts with simulations carried out with nucleating fields that span the entire surface area, where cubic ice dominates, and hexagonal layers are very rarely observed. We argue that this discrepancy is a simulation artifact related to finite sample size and periodic boundary conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) is a risk factor for PPH after vaginal delivery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of all patients who had a vaginal delivery at Fujian Provincial Maternity and Children’s Hospital, between 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2018. Women with cesarean deliveries, multiple pregnancies, abnormal coagulation profile, and those with concomitant liver or kidney disorders were excluded. Patients were classified into MSAF (n=13686) and clear amniotic fluid (AF) (n=41511) groups. RESULTS: The incidence of PPH was significantly higher at 2.7% (370/13686) in the MSAF group as compared to 2.18% (904/41511) in the clear AF group (p=0.0004). There was no difference in the incidence of severe PPH between the two groups. Statistically significant difference in the incidence of PPH between MSAF and clear AF was seen in the maternal age groups of 30-34 and 35-39 years, gestational age>40weeks and >3 gravidity (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that MSAF is a significant risk factor for minor and moderate PPH. Presence of meconium could therefore alert clinicians to expect PPH and make arrangements for further patient management. Further basic research is required to evaluate the mechanism by which meconium influences the incidence of PPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To identify laboratory markers among platelet indices, coagulation parameters, blood lipid parameters, and liver/kidney function variables that can be used to predict preeclampsia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied records of 568 women with preeclampsia, gestational hypertension (GH), or normal term pregnancies hospitalized in the Obstetrics Department of the Fujian Maternal and Child Health Hospital from September 2014 to September 2018. We divided the patients' records into three groups (216 with preeclampsia, 136 with gestational hypertension, and 216 with normal pregnancies). We conducted retrospective analyses to compare variable measurements between the groups and find correlations. We looked into maternal pre-onset platelet indices, coagulation parameters (thrombin time [TT], fibrinogen [FIB]), biochemical parameters (total cholesterol [TC], triglycerides [TG], high-density lipoproteins [HDL], alanine transaminase [ALT], serum creatinine [CRE], blood urea nitrogen [BUN], uric acid [UA]), maternal complications, and perinatal outcomes. In addition to our statistical analysis, we trained a back-propagation (BP) neural network to identify the strongest predictors of preeclampsia. RESULTS: We found significant differences among the groups in terms of values for PLT, MPV, PDW, PLCR, TT, FIB, TG, LDH, BUN, and others. After adjusting for confounding factors in a multivariate ordered logistic regression model, we found that mean values for MPV, BUN, TG, and LDH can independently predict the risk of preeclampsia (the OR values were 1.858, 1.583, 1.104, and 1.020, respectively), the C-index (concordance statistic) was 0.73. Also, our BP neural network derived ALB, MPV, BUN, LDH and TG as the strongest predictors of preeclampsia. CONCLUSIONS: MPV, TG, LDH, and BUN can help establish the risk for the development of preeclampsia to apply active measures and improve maternal and perinatal outcomes. The BP neural network can be used to study predictive models of preeclampsia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Studies showed that microRNAs (miRs) play an important role in the development of breast cancer. It has been shown that there were significant differences between the expression levels of serum miR-214-3p in breast cancer patients and healthy controls. Since survivin is involved in cell cycle and apoptosis, this study aims to investigate the effect of miR-214-3p on the proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dual-Luciferase reporter system was used to validate the cell cycle-related target gene survivin. miRanda and TargetScan were used to predict miR-214-3p target genes. Lipofectamine 2000 was used to transfect the miR-214-3p mimics, miR-NC into the MCF-7 cells. The quantitative Real Time-PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of miR-214-3p and survivin. The 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to examine the cell proliferation of breast cancer cells. The flow cytometry assay was used to evaluate the apoptosis of breast cancer cells. RESULTS: Dual-Luciferase reporter assay showed that cells co-transfected with wild-type vector and miR-214-3p mimics had significant lower ratios of hRluc/Luc fluorescence compared to that of the control group (p<0.05). The expression level of miR-214-3p was increased along with the increase of time after transfection, whereas the expression level of survivin mRNA was decreased along with the increase of time post transfection. This result suggests that miR-214-3p regulates the mRNA expression of survivin. Transfection of miR-214-3p inhibitor increased the proliferation of MCF-7 cells and transfection of miR-214-3p mimics decreased the proliferation of MCF-7 cells compared to control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Survivin gene is a downstream target of miR-214-3p in breast cancer cells. The expression of miR-214-3p and survivin is correlated with the proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between Sonic hedgehog (SHH) protein expression levels on placental tissues and the presence of preeclampsia and to assess oxidative stress in cultured trophoblast cells from placentas of women with preeclampsia treated under different conditions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 30 pregnant women with early-onset preeclampsia (<34 weeks), 30 with late-onset preeclampsia (≥34 weeks), and 60 healthy pregnant women with early or late gestational ages for two control groups. We used ELISA tests to measure individual serum SHH levels. Also, we used real-time PCR, and Western blotting to detect Shh transcript and protein levels in placental tissues, respectively, and immunohistochemistry to localize the protein in placental tissues. We isolated trophoblast cells from placentas and cultured them in vitro under different conditions to compare oxidative stress injury and apoptosis rates between them. RESULTS: The mean serum SHH levels in early and late preeclampsia groups were similar (p>0.05). Placentas of women with and without preeclampsia both expressed SHH protein mainly in syncytiotrophoblast cytoplasms. The mean placental SHH protein expressions in both women with early-onset and late-onset preeclampsia were significantly higher than that in the women of the late gestational age control group (p<0.05). The mean Shh mRNA abundances in early-onset and late-onset preeclampsia placentas were significantly higher than that in the late gestational age control placentas (p<0.05). The placental mitochondria oxidative stress injury was significantly higher in the preeclampsia than in the control group (p<0.05). The oxidative stress injury and apoptosis of trophoblast cells were higher in preeclampsia groups than in the late gestational age control group (p<0.05). Trophoblast cells treated with SHH serum had significantly lower oxidative stress than the same cells grown in the presence of preeclamptic serum (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of Shh in placental tissues is associated with the oxidative stress mechanism during preeclampsia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Digoxin is a kind of plant-derived cardiac glycoside that is mainly used to treat heart diseases, especially in congestive heart failure or arrhythmia. However, its potentiality presented in anti-tumor remains unexplored. The purpose of this study was designed to investigate the beneficial pharmacological activity of digoxin on breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231, MM231). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was utilized to detect the proliferation of the breast cancer MM231. The apoptotic cell numbers were determined by the flow cytometry analysis. The expressions of Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma-2) and Bax (Bcl2-associated X protein) were detected by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Digoxin dose-dependently blocked the cell growth of the breast cancer MM231 through MTT assay, whereas the apoptotic numbers were significantly elevated as reflected in acridine orange staining and flow cytometry analysis. In addition, findings from Western blotting method indicated that digoxin intervention showed reduced Bcl-2 expression and elevated Bax level in MM231 cells, characterized by increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Digoxin plays a potential anti- tumor role in breast cancer in vitro, possibly by inducing mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]